For the Days
by Sully-van
Summary: Summer was a time for change, even for six hundred year old spirits serving punishment. For better or worse, Ace isn't sure, especially when he finally figures out why he wasn't sentenced to a seemingly harsher punishment. After all, how was he supposed to know that he was going to meet the reincarnation of his lost lover? ...Not that Luffy remembers their past together, of course.
1. Chapter 1

**Warning/Themes**: Has to deal with spirits, reincarnation, and death by association. Curse words and vagueness are inevitable. More warnings later on.

Notes at the end.

* * *

**For the Days**

* * *

The air is light and happy, cheerful voices and music filling the air. It was a warm night, natural for the end of summer.

Most people in the town are at the festival at the end of the large hill, enjoying themselves in their colored yukatas or Western styled clothing, fishing for goldfish, eating snacks, winning prizes, or doing other festival related things. All people in the vacancy are clearly happy.

Except for one.

One man watches from afar, a blank look on his freckled, yet mature face.

Portgas D. Ace was handsome. His face was thin, with dark waves of hair nearly at his shoulders and freckles splashed on his cheeks and nose. He doesn't wear a yukata like most of the festival goers, if he could even be considered one. Instead he wears a dark blue Kimono that hangs loosely on his body.

Ace is clearly not in the festival mood.

His eyes express the emotion that his features do not. Thoughtfulness shines in his brown eyes.

Many thoughts roll through his head, 'I wonder what it would be like to go down their' and 'it smells good' being current.

The smell from all of the various food vendors wafts all the way up to him from his perch of sorts; a tree on the hill where the shrine that overlooks the festival lies. If his stomach could growl, he has no doubts that it would be going off non-stop.

He leans back into the tree trunk.

Its nice to hear all of these voices at once.

During the year, silent days are a usual thing that cause time to pass by slowly even for him. After all, not many people would come by the shrine during the year, the only times being the end of the summer festival, New Years, and the occasional private party.

Ways had long changed, not that Ace particular cared. He didn't necessarily mind the loneliness.

Even if he was in the middle of serving a well deserved punishment, after all.

It was hundreds of years after his original sentencing, but his opinion on his punishment never did change.

In fact, being tethered to a shrine seemed lax or even lenient to him.

Yet, there was the occasional time the punishment brought the cruelty that Ace thought he deserved.

_She_ had loved festivals after all.

He was thoughtful, and while he would love to go down at least once more with _her_, his heart feeling as if it would burst with every festival.

After all of this time, he could remember _her_. Every smile, every tear, every moment. _Her_ eyes, that sparkled like nearby ocean they had escaped to every now and then once upon a time, silently promising a million little things to each other, were still fresh in his mind.

He had forgotten some things as a part of his punishment and it made him feel like he could be sick, if possible. Ace couldn't remember _her_ voice or laugh, but he could almost remember the feeling of satisfaction that would well in his stomach whenever _she_ burst into laughing fits. No longer could he remember small features either, adding to his remorse and guilt.

The guilt in his stomach was bubbling and threatening to boil over. Ace was deserving of a much worse punishment.

The gods, however, would never listen.

Ace knows they were wise and powerful, but sometimes they were far too soft.

When Ace had voiced this to one of the gods that oversaw him, they looked at him in pure pity.

"You'll understand one day." The gods eyes had said, still boring into Ace's mind after all this time.

But he still did not understand.

What Ace did required much, much more than the apology the gods had sentenced him to.

No matter what though, Ace would serve his punishment. Until the end of time itself, he would stay at the shrine.

It was nearly seven hundred years since he had been sentenced.

Six hundred years of punishment with his lingering memories, endlessly waiting to apologize to _her_. To apologize for what he had done.

His eyes shut and he can almost feel _her_ skin against his, lips moving aimlessly and in absolute silence but what he knows would be a pleasant song. He could remember pressing _her_ closer to him, pressing his lips on the top of _her_ head, wishing for the moment to never, ever end.

But, as all good things do, it did.

A loud voice cuts through his memories like a sharp knife.

"Ah... I'm lost! Nami isn't gonna like that... Oh well, shishishi!"

Ace feels his heart involuntary beat faster when the laughter reaches his ears.

_(It's unexplainable in a way and yet...)_

Quickly maneuvering in the tree, unable to help the rustling leaves, Ace sneaks a peek at the new shrine visitor.

The visitor is teenage boy, who can't be older than 16 or 17 at the most. His features are rather feminine, save the scar under his left eye. He's shorter and skinnier than the average male, yet its clear that he's male. He wears a bright red yukata, with an out of place straw hat hanging from his neck. His hair is black and wildly sticking up in all directions.

Hearing the rustling leaves, the visitor quickly looks up. What Ace sees makes his heart stop.

The teenager smiles brightly, eyes still wide open.

"Oh! Hi, I didn't notice you! Why are you in that tree? Are you lost too?"

Ace is speechless for several reasons.

The main reason however, is his eyes.

His eyes are wide and bright. They are a blue color that reflects the ocean and sparkles in even the darkest of nights.

_Her_ eyes.

_(...he feels alive in a way he hadn't felt since her death.)_

* * *

**Notes**: I've been wanting to write something like this for a long time and I finally got an idea last night. I miss summer and the warmer weather, so maybe this is what I need. _  
_

I'm very excited to start this story. It's my first thing I've posted this year. But know that updates won't be scheduled, especially since exams start next month. Also, if you read my other story 'Reset' I'm sorry that I haven't updated in a while! Hopefully I'll have the next chapter out this next coming weekend.

I'm also in need of a proofreader who can help me with tenses... So if you're interested in helping, PM me!

Leave a review on your way out!


	2. Chapter 2

Warnings: Same as last time.

* * *

**Chapter 2 **

* * *

Looking closer, its not just his eyes that are _hers_.

Ace realizes that is _her_ smile on the teens face and he feels as if he has finally been awakened from a long slumber.

Emotion wells within him and before he knows it, his eyes start stinging.

It had been so, so long. Well over 600 years, edging on 700.

It was so surreal and Ace almost thought it was a dream. But he knows that he couldn't dream this. Still, Ace can not get over the pure shock and ends up loosing his hold on the tree, hitting the ground with a crash.

The other comes towards Ace quickly once Ace's freckled face connects with the grassy ground.

"Tree guy are you okay?" He stands next to Ace and peers down in curious wonder, but Ace can hear what seems to be concern at the edge of his voice.

Ace can't stop the unexplainable emotion bubbling inside of him and when he speaks, his voice involuntarily breaks. "I-I'm fine. I slipped, thats all... And my name isn't tree guy."

"Shishishi, you're funny." The laughter causes his heart beat to accelerate and all thoughts to pause. Was_ her_ laughter always that beautiful and full of happiness all those years ago? He wish he could remember, but he doesn't doubt it was. He wonders how he could truly forget something so beautiful. The pleasant laughter echoes through his head, already branding itself so it will never be forgotten again. "Then what's your name tree guy? I'm Luffy, nice to meet you!"

Luffy. It's a different name than before, than the name he was used too. But it clearly wasn't the only different thing.

After all, Luffy is a male now when he been female in all of Ace's memories.

But Ace couldn't bring himself to care at the moment. It is still _her_, regardless. He has no doubts. He can feel it in the pit of his stomach. His instinct screams at him; that it really is her soul in a different body. He's positive that this is _her_ after nearly seven hundred years. After everything he had done, he's seeing that bright smile again.

And then he freezes, recalling Luffy's words, asking who he was. Ace looks up at Luffy quickly, almost catching the teenager off guard.

Recognition does not spark in his eyes, only open curiosity.

So, Luffy doesn't remember him? It was clear that he didn't recognize Ace and the spirit knew that his appearance is the same as it was the last time those eyes had met his own in a past life.

_(Sad, but accepting pools of blue, that never once looked at him in anger or hate, not caring who he was or the sin of his very existence. She had only looked at him with love, understanding, and forgiveness. He didn't deserve a single one of those looks.)_

Swallowing past the lump in his throat, Ace slowly sits up, despite him wishing that he could slowly sink into the ground.

It was hard to believe that _she_ - no, _he_ - doesn't remember Ace.

Anger stirs in his stomach. It's not directed at Luffy, but at the gods. It explained the pitying looks that had been directed his way.

And he understands.

This was his punishment.

He doesn't even feel angry for his own sake. He's feels angry for Luffy.

Ace swallows once more and gives himself to calm down, that getting angry at the gods won't help him. That he should speak to the person he hadn't seen in so, so long before he can't.

"Luffy..." The name rolls off of his tongue sweetly and it fits. "I'm Ace, the... The pleasures all mine."

And Ace is sure that in his almost seven hundred years of life, he has never said anything with more honesty.

With _her_ back then, it was so easy to be honest and himself. With_ her_, he wasn't the monster that everyone was expecting. He could never lie to _her_ then, the only exceptions being their first few meetings and their very last, and he was willing to bet that he isn't going be able to in _her_ new life.

Luffy laughs again and extends a hand to Ace to help him up off of the ground.

The spirit hesitates. Technically, he shouldn't be able to touch humans, only things or nature and the shrine itself.

But, he muses, Luffy can see me.

In all of time he has been at the shrine, a live human has never noticed him. Animals were the only things able to see him, but whenever the friendlier animals ran to him in order to get some form of contact, they would only pass through his form. What if his hand passed through Luffy's? What if the teen was spooked and Ace would never be able to see him again, would never be able to apologize?

Luffy seems to notice his inner turmoil and drops his hand. Ace feels horrible, wishing that there was nothing to risk. That he could take that hand in his own and see if it was still warm and soft. But Luffy still smiles at him, not at all swayed or insulted.

That smile sends Ace's heart racing. He takes in a deep breath and can feel the words on the tip of his tongue, but Luffy interupts.

Grinning suddenly, Luffy makes a sudden decision and he sits next to Ace on the ground, almost getting tangled in his yukata with how fast he sits.

"So, why are you up here, Ace? Aren't you going to the festival?" Luffy asks, looking up at Ace. The freckled spirit can't help but think that he looks like one of the cute tiny puppies that wander up to the shrine every now and then.

"Nah, I'm not going down. I'm just gonna stay here." Not that he could leave.

"Oh... That's weird. Don't you like festivals? I love them! They're a lot of fun! I'm here with my friends, but I got lost, shishishi!" Luffy laughs, swaying a little bit as if unable to stay still.

Ace can't help but grin back. Time had not changed the childish, energetic nature that Ace was familiar with.

"I like festivals a lot, but I can't go down."

"Oh? Are you waiting for someone?"

"Yeah, you can definitely say that." More like, finally finding someone.

Luffy opens his mouth to say something, but two voices cut through the comfortable air.

"Luffy! Luffy you idiot where are you?" A woman calls, sounding irritated.

"He'll come back whenever he wants to, witch." A deeper, tired voice says.

"Be quiet! If you haven't been sleeping he wouldn't have wandered off! I knew I should have asked Robin to watch over him!'

Luffy blinks and looks slightly nervous. And Ace couldn't blame him at the obvious anger in the woman's tone.

"That's Nami and Zoro... She's gonna kill me for getting lost. If she comes up here, you might get in trouble too! I should go!" Luffy stands up as he speaks, brushing the dirt off of his yukata.

"Ah, wait!" Ace says quickly as Luffy starts to walk away, not wanting Luffy to go. It had been so long since he had seen _her_- no _him_. He didn't want Luffy to leave so soon. Who knew when Ace would be able see him again. Ace really doesn't want another seven hundred years without seeing him... _Her?_ Luffy blinks and looks at him with curious eyes. "I uh..."

"I liked talking to you." Luffy interupts when Ace searches for words. "We'll meet each other again soon! I'll see you later!"

Before Ace can stop him again, Luffy runs off toward the fading voices.

He lies on the ground, arms spread and eyes tightly shut.

Luffy left before Ace got the chance to apologize for everything.

"Shit."

* * *

**Note**: Okay, chapter 2. Wasn't expecting to get this chapter out tonight, but hey its not like I have an essay to write or anything.

Thanks so much for the positive response for the first chapter and I hope this chapter can get positive feedback too *winks*! Also, feel free to give me tell me if I'm using tenses out of place (they're my worst enemy OTL) or anything else like that.

Also, I changed the summary a bit :')


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

* * *

Three weeks had passed since the festival.

Days were beginning to get shorter and leaves starting to brown, even if the underlying heat of the summer still lingered in the cusp of autumn.

Luffy hasn't appeared since that day, but that doesn't stop him from being on Ace's mind.

The spirit still had trouble grasping the fact that he had met Luffy after all of this time, even if he is in a different body. Ace doesn't mind that; he was just overwhelmed with the fact that _she_ is back.

_Had_ been back.

In the dark, Luffy looked seventeen or so, perhaps a little younger or older, but who knew how many times his soul had been reincarnated since _then._ It left Ace restless and unable to sit still, pacing his days away as he thinks, feeling powerless and wanting nothing but to track Luffy down so he could explain everything that he has wanted to get off of his chest for millenniums.

"You're going to burn a hole into the ground with your pacing, yoi." A calm, comforting, familiar voice says, literally stopping Ace in his tracks.

The black haired spirit turns on his heel and faces a blond male. His skin is sun-kissed and muscular where the fabric exposes it. Stubble the same color as his oddly styled hair rests on his chin. His eyes are almost golden and as calm as ever. He looks human, but Ace knows that he is anything but.

"Hey Marco," Ace greeted after a sigh, walking up to his old friend and 'guardian' of sorts. He hadn't seen Marco since before he had encountered Luffy but he does't doubt that the phoenix god knew all about what happened.

When they're sitting at the shrine, shoulder to shoulder, the blond god fixes his eyes on the younger spirit who looks down at his hands in his lap, waiting for Ace to speak.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Ace asks vaguely, but Marco always is smart so he doesn't doubt the blond knew what exactly he is asking.

"I'm not in charge of him Ace, you know Akagami is. And you know how he is." Marco lips curled up slightly at the thought of the red haired god who continuously tried to 'convince' him to join his ranks, despite knowing Marco's intense loyalty to the god that held even more power than Akagami. Ace couldn't actually tell if the smile on his face is a pleasant one or not. "Even then, he wouldn't be able to tell you, yoi. It's out of our jurisdiction."

Ace had already figured out something similar to that.

"...He has no clue who I am. Why?"

Marco closes his eyes and leans back. "Reincarnation is always a tricky thing. Sometimes they remember, but most times they don't remember. However, even if they completely forget everything they learned before, they can still have their instincts. Do you know what that means, yoi?"

Ace's eyebrows knit in thought, his bottom lip getting trapped between his canine teeth.

"No clue, what are you saying?"

Marco is quiet for a moment before he opens his eyes again and looks at the spirit next to him.

"That's something you'll have to realize yourself."

"What?! Why can't you just tell me?"

"It's a part of your punishment to figure it out, yoi."

Ace sighs and his shoulders slump, defeated. A part of him expected that answer. If it doesn't have to deal with his punishment, then the spirit would've pester the answer out of the phoenix god like he has been doing ever since he was a child.

"How's everyone?" Ace mumbles a few minutes later, sitting up

"Same as usual, yoi. Haruta and Izo have been arguing more lately though."

Ace hums and crosses his muscular arms under his head, still dwelling on Luffy and the fact that there is so much he doesn't know. He doesn't doubt he'll learn at some point - he would make sure of that - but how is another question. After all, he can't ask anyone about it. They'll either not know a thing or refuse to tell him, like Marco. Not that he will, seeing as he has been determined to single-handedly deal with his punishment for the past seven hundred years.

"Thatch?"

Marco's eyes darken and he frowns a little bit. "He's an idiot as usual."

Ace smirks and looks at his friend. "Uh huh."

"What's that supposed to mean, yoi?"

"That's something you'll have to realize yourself."

* * *

A day after his talk with Marco, Ace is back in the tree, his eyes closed and arms crossed behind his head as he begins to doze off.

He doesn't expect a sweet sounding voice to pull him from the edge of sleep.

"Are you still in the tree, tree guy?" Ace's eyes snap open and sees Luffy standing wide eyed at the foot of the tree with a stunning smile on his face. He can only just grip the branch to avoid falling flat on his face again.

"Oooh! That was cool!" Luffy applauds delightedly when Ace's feet touch the ground after he swung deftly on the branch. "Do you fall off from trees a lot, tree guy? Does that mean I have to call you something else?"

"The falling is kind of a new thing..." A new thing that started the moment Ace had seen Luffy. "And my name's Ace."

"That's a really cool name, but I like calling you tree guy!" Luffy nods, completely sure of himself and Ace can't find it in him to care about the nickname.

Flustered, Ace rubs his neck and stealthily looks the teen over. Luffy's dressed in a blue and gray uniform that looks good on him; Ace recognizes it as the one from school a few blocks away from the hill. A pair of sandals adorn his feet and his straw hat sits proudly on his head.

Ace jolts in realization because that's the old hat Akagami used to wear years ago. He knew that Akagami has been in charge of Luffy since Ace's punishment began, but why did Luffy have the yonko's hat that Ace knew the red-haired god cared for greatly.

"Ne, I wasn't expecting you to be here again! Do you always hang out here?" Luffy asks brightly.

"Yeah, I'm here pretty much all of the time." Not being allowed to leave the shrine kind of insured that.

"Ahh, that's so cool! It seems really nice here! I can't believe I've only been up here once!"

Ace shrugs, but on the inside he can't really believe it either. "Not a lot of people come up here; only during festival seasons."

Luffy nods in realization. "Oh, I didn't know that! I moved out here with my big brother a few months ago!"

It's Ace's turn to nod in realization, his eyes widening fractionally. _That_ explained why Ace had yet to run into Luffy.

"Ahh, I've lived here for a long time. Where are you from?"

Luffy sways and looks at his feet. "Me and my brother were born in Brazil, but we moved to the States when I was 8. Then we moved out here! We went back to Brazil right after the festival, actually!"

"Brazil? Is it nice?

"Yeah, I had a lot of fun! You should go someday! My big brother Sabo thought it would be cool to go back and I'm glad we did!" Luffy says, beaming.

Ace feels his stomach drop and forgets how to breath.

_Sabo?_

Did Luffy just say _Sabo_?

"He's always really busy with stuff so we haven't really gotten a lot of time to hang out a lot! I was really happy when he told me we were going back to Brazil!" Luffy continues speaking, cheerfully unaware of the way Ace's expression started to twitch and change. "He'sin college and he likes it a lot, but I don't get why because isn't that just more school?"

Ace can't answer, too shocked to even _breath_ because of the mention of his old best friends name.

* * *

_When the blond man came his way, his kimono in tatters, his arms and chest covered in scratches and bruises that hadn't been there earlier, and his eyes rimmed red from tears, Ace expects to be killed. He feels like he should be killed because she wasn't living anymore and it was all because of him. _

_If anyone had the right to kill him, it was her brother and his own best friend. He hoped that Sabo wouldn't kill him quickly; that he would let him suffer and slowly bleed to death but - he doesn't._

_When he reaches Ace, sobs shake Sabo's shoulders and he wraps his arms around Ace's head, cradling the freckled man in close. _

_"You idiot," he whispers brokenly, his tears staining the front of Ace's kimono. "You stupid idiot."_

_Ace is unable to hold back his own tears any longer and cries into Sabo's shoulder, whispering apologies that he hopes Sabo never accepts._

* * *

**Notes**: Marco and Past!Sabo in one chapter! This is also the longest chapter so far whoa! (I'm not good at writing long things but chapters might continue to get longer as it goes on.) And next chapter... Well you'll see!

So, I might of written out one of the last scenes to this story... I might have gotten upset while writing it, but I also got a little upset writing the last scene of this chapter.

I'm keeping the term yonko - they're the four ruling gods in the afterlife/other realm that are in charge of keeping things moving.

Whitebeard is the one with the most power. He has 15 lower level but still very powerful gods underneath him (and then ones that answer to both them and Whitebeard)- Ace is not one of these gods, seeing as he's in punishment.

I made a writing tumblr where you can see my progress for things/read drabbles/etc. the url is sullycrab if you're interested 8)

It's really rainy right now and it's making me want to curl up in a ball... It was sunny and warm a few days ago I want it back *claws at floor*

I hope you all enjoyed the chapter and feel free to leave a review before you leave ;)


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